Maturity
by moomolie1709
Summary: A look at the lives of Arthur, Gwen, Morgana, and Merlin before the series. A banquet is coming up in Camelot, what are these youngsters going to do? Slightly AU.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hello Merlin lovers! This is Arwen, set pre-series. This is my first fic for Merlin, so I hope you guys enjoy reading it!

**Chapter 1**

The next banquet that was to be held at the Camelot castle was going to be different.

Not because of the guests that were attending.

Not because of the food that was on the menu.

Not even because of the reason they were celebrating.

No, this night was unlike to be like any other, simply because of what the seemingly innocent adolescents of court were cooking up in their heads.

Growing up in a regal environment molded children of aristocracy in a way that commoners never experienced. The number of young people allowed within in the walls of the castle were limited, so bonds between friends ran deep, ones between enemies even deeper. The battle always came through two sides, each led by one of the young Pendragons.

Arthur, heir to the throne and future king of Albion, possessed the backing of other boys who were offspring of nobility. They had only recently been officially knighted, but the fifteen year old prince knew of his companions unwavering loyalty. They traveled in a large pack, constantly picking on and warring against Arthur's adoptive sister, the King's ward, Morgana.

Morgana on the other hand, had no such group of friends. After living in the castle for nearly five years, she still gave off an unapproachable and somewhat icy aura, intimidating anyone who attempted to befriend her. It wasn't until two years ago when she received an new maid, Guinevere, did she have anyone to confide in. The two became fast friends,

Arthur and the his fellow knights found great fun in pitting themselves against Morgana and her maidservant. As teenagers, it was natural to develop an interest in the opposite sex. It just happened that they had been too immature to do it any other way besides constant mocking and teasing.

It was only a few days earlier that King Uther and his wife Igraine became fed up with the constant though harmless bickering. Arthur and Morgana were having another routine spat at the dinner table.

"Arthur! I can't believe you! Do you have any idea how long it took me and Gwen to get the horses ready!" Morgana shouted across to her older brother.

In turn, Arthur looked completely unconcerned, a pointed at her with a drumstick in his hand, "Well maybe if, Morgana, you didn't insist on always following me and my men it wouldn't be a problem,"

"Ha!—Your men? You're a bunch of boys playing around trying to act older than their age!"

"Better than a pair of scared little girls!"

Morgana stood up from her seat, slamming both of her hands down next to her plate, shaking the table. "I was given permission to go hunting with you! You just didn't want to share the fun, scared I was going to earn a better kill than you?"

"Enough!" Uther's voice boomed, causing his children's heads to snap in his direction. Quickly, Morgana sat herself back down, sliding her chair back closer to the table. Arthur quickly dropped his food back down onto his plate, swallowing down whatever was in his mouth. Both of them shifted their eyes, avoiding the King's piercing gaze.

Uther took another sip from his cup, giving his wife an exasperated look at the other end of the table.

"You two have been at each other's throats for weeks now, and it needs to stop. You are as close to what you'll ever have as siblings, now I suggest you solve your differences now before I lose my temper,"

Both Arthur and Morgana muttered an apology under their breaths.

"Arthur, Morgana, won't you two excuse yourselves for a moment while I discuss something with the King?" Igraine's calm voice seemed to soothe the tension in the room. "It'll only be moment, just wait outside," she flashed a kind smile.

Morgana and Arthur shuffled to their feet and out of the door, but not without shoving the other on their way out to see who could make it outside first.

Once alone, Uther let out a sigh, rubbing his temples. Igraine got herself out of her seat, and made her way to her husband's side. She put her hands on his shoulders, slowly massaging them.

"I know what you're going to say," he paused, enjoying her touch, "Children will be children, I understand. But they're getting too old for this fighting. I mean, when I was Arthur's age, I was chasing after girls, not pulling pranks on them,"

He stopped, realizing that his words might have earned him some kind of light retribution. He relaxed when she continued to rub her hands on his back.

"No, no, I quite agree with you. That is what I wanted to speak to you about,"

On the outside of the dining hall, Arthur and Morgana had their ears pressed to the door, listening to what the King and Queen were deciding on. They ignored the awkward stares that the guards gave them.

"Do you hear them Arthur? You're immaturity is why we're about to be punished!"

"I'm plenty mature!" he countered, glaring. But neither of them removed the sides of their heads from the door. Morgana loudly shushed him, trying again to hear what was being said.

"So what did you have in mind?" Uther reached behind him, cradling Igraine's hand in his own.

"It is to my best understanding that we have a banquet in this coming week, do we not?"

"Why yes," he looked forward, trying to anticipate his wife's idea, but finding no answers.

"I was hoping to solve this issue between Morgana and Arthur with a little change to the banquet plans,"

Igraine walked forward so she was standing at his side, she beamed a delighted smile.

"Go on," he nodded, letting her continue.

"The mandatory attendance of all young nobility in Camelot. It will be a celebration for the children, a type of coming of age celebration,"

"You want to throw them a party as a means to reprimand them?" Uther looked skeptical. "Won't doing so just encourage their behavior?"

"On the contrary, my King. It will help them to develop an understanding of the other gender,"

"And how is exactly is that?"

"They'll have to bring dates of course,"

Suddenly, the large doors to the room were pushed open, one teen collapsed on the ground, the other stumbling in on his knees. Both of their faces had paled considerably, their jaws had dropped to the floor.

"_What?"_

**End Chapter 1**

A/N: Hahaha, oh Morgana, Arthur, just what are you guys going to do? This is just a look into the pubescent period in their lives. I'll be able to introduce Gwen, and possibly Merlin in the next chapter. I know it's AU with Igraine, but I felt it necessary to have her character. So, what do you think, should I continue writing? Reviews please! I appreciate feedback so much! **  
><strong>


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Hello Merlin lovers! A new chapter on this whole banquet predicament. Who is everyone thinking of asking? Who do they have in mind? Thanks for reading, enjoy!

**Chapter 2**

"Well, out with it!" Arthur snapped, looking around his circle of knights. Training had finished without a hitch, but now that it was over, they had something other than sword technique to discuss.

"Sire?"

"Who are you all going to ask?"

Silence fell over the group of boys, and not because they didn't have an answer, but because they had no idea how to broach it to their leader. All of them were physically exhausted, nearly every one of them collapsing on the grass of the field outside. It was a warm summer day, and the sun was beating down with unmerciful heat.

"Well?"

He scanned his friends' faces, only to find that they had been ignoring him.

"Who are you thinking of taking?"

He cleared his throat, hoping to gather their attention once again. But his efforts were futile, all of them seemed to be staring off in the same direction.

He followed their gaze, spotting a figure at the other end of the field by the castle walls. He recognized his sister immediately, she was alone. She was walking with her horse, returning it back to the stables. He squinted his eyes, slightly smug that he had something report to his father. The King would not be happy to find that his beloved ward had traveled out by herself without permission.

Arthur was about to repeat his question, when realization dawned on him. He jumped to his feet, his hand ready on the hilt of his sword.

Heads rose upwards to meet the eyes of the prince, "You all cannot possibly be thinking of taking _Morgana_!"

The majority of boys shifted their heads, sheepishly trying to avoid the death glare that the young Pendragon was exuding.

"Unbelievable!" he exclaimed, feeling betrayed. Despite the fact that he viewed Morgana as his enemy, he viewed her as family first. He wasn't just supposed to let men try to woo her, even if they were his trusted companions.

"Oh calm down, Arthur," the voice belonged to one of the older knights, Sir Leon. "You know just as well as all of us that you don't need to defend Morgana's honor, she's plenty capable of protecting herself," he calmly took a sip of water from his canteen.

Arthur stood still, he couldn't deny it. Even though he didn't care to admit it, his adopted sister was rather skilled with the sword, probably more so than some of his men. Contented with the fact that Morgana could take care of herself without his intervention, he sat himself back down.

Arthur had matured slightly ahead of other young men his age, already considerably taller than his father. He sloppily sprawled his legs out in front of him, as he seized the canteen from Leon and began chugging it down.

After he finished, he looked at his knights. "Anyways," he eyed the boys that had acted submissively after confrontation about Morgana, "I need a list of all the girls you're thinking about asking,"

Puzzled looks surrounded him.

"We are the future knights of Camelot, and I need to make sure that the women you're escorting are acceptable," he sighed, "There are hardly any decent girls here in the city, I bet my mother will probably fetch me a princess of daughter of high standing from another neighbor…"

He was hoping to continue, but found his men's attention again captivated by the sight of Morgana.

He scoffed, "What's so great about Morgana anyways?"

That sure caught his knights attention, as they stared at him with disbelief. "You're not serious, my Lord,"

"Morgana is the most beautiful in the Camelot court,"

"She has a regal air about her,"

"She is one of the most skilled swordswomen,"

"She isn't afraid to speak her mind,"

"She is kind to—"

Arthur had enough; it was disgusting enough to think that his knights were attracted to Morgana. He couldn't handle them pining after her in his presence. He got up, extremely irritated, and started to walk back into the castle.

He called over his back, "I'll need that list by tonight, so choose carefully!"

He stormed his way past Morgana, who in turn didn't look too excited to see him. "Arthur," her tone was venomous.

"Morgana," he returned through clenched teeth. The claws almost came out, but Arthur remembered how angry his father had been with their last bickering match, and bit his tongue.

He pushed through the outside door, ignoring the guard's greetings. He was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't realize that there was someone walking in front of him.

He violently turned a corner and collided with the passerby with good force, sending the stranger, as well as himself, tumbling onto the floor. A blend of colors and clothing fell around him, and he heard a slight squeak.

He had landed on his back, not yet able to register what had happened. So instead of jumping back to his feet and being on his way, he just laid there dumbfounded.

After awhile, he realized that there was a weight sitting on his chest. He looked up, and found himself face to face with a girl.

They stared at each other, eyes filled with shock, her hands on his chest, her body on top of his. Arthur looked at her, he assessed that she was about his age, perhaps a bit younger. He couldn't say her name off the top of his head, but he could recognize her face.

"I'm sorry sire," she squeaked shyly.

He soon became distracted with the feeling of her frame delicately placed over his, somehow, it felt amazing. It felt just right.

"No," he was breathless, "my pleasure,"

In an instant, he was left in complete euphoria, and with Morgana's maidservant nonetheless.

**End Chapter 2**

A/N: Hmmm, some Arwen action going on? I meant it to seem kind of like the scene from Cornelius Sigan from episode 201, when Gwen knocks Arthur over. Anyways, I hoped you enjoyed. Please Review! I do appreciate those who give feedback, thank you for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Hello Merlin lovers! Since the last chapter was focused on Arthur and Gwen, I've decided to give Morgana a bit of the limelight this time. I hope you enjoy this chapter, thank you for reading! Please continue to review!

**Chapter 3**

Gwen sprinted into her mistress's chambers, slammed the door shut, and leaned on it for support. The trip from the hallway to Morgana's room wasn't far, yet her heart refused to slow its rapid beat.

The feeling was foreign to her, she had always been shy around boys her age.

So when it came to landing on top of one, she was completely petrified. At first she thought she had simply crashed into another servant, she didn't think that it would be one of the knights. The sworn protectors of Albion were usually off training at that hour.

To make matters worse, of all the teenage boys she could have landed on top of, it had to be Arthur Pendragon, prince of Camelot.

Gwen could say that she had no interest in him, unlike the other girls of the court. It was no secret that every woman in the land, young or old, beautiful or unsightly, found him the most charming thing ever. She on the other hand was the exception, as she found his attitude and behavior towards Morgana to be appalling.

If she was asked to describe him Prince Arthur in two words, she would immediately blurt out 'arrogant pig'. But the events of the last ten minutes had changed her opinion dramatically.

Whenever his name popped up, all she could think about was his light blue eyes, his seemingly perfect blonde hair. He was a blindingly gorgeous boy, and even the most obnoxious of memories she had for him could cloud the image of him.

"Gwen, are you there?"

Gwen gasped, surprised by the sudden entrance. She turned around, facing her friend. Morgana looked irritated, she let her cloak fall to the floor.

"Yes, my Lady, I'm right here,"

Morgana smiled at maidservant, overlooking her tense body language. She put her shoulder on Gwen's shoulder and walked past her to go behind the screen, and began to undress.

"Hand me my blue dress, will you? The one with the detailing on the hem. Uther and Igraine aren't the happiest with me. I better wear something delicate and feminine to get back in their good graces…"

"Of course, my Lady," Gwen turned around to retrieve the article of clothing in question, but slowly realization began to hit.

The laundry, it wasn't in the room.

She had left it back out in the hallway when she collided with Arthur!

"Gwen?"

She started to panic. The basket she had been carrying earlier contained some of Morgana's most expensive dresses. If anyone got their hands on them, he would be in the possession of some major coin.

"Morgana," she debated for a moment. The truth seemed tempting, but seeing as Morgana was already in deep trouble with the King, didn't want to worsen the situation with her own carelessness. "It seems that I've forgotten to get the laundry,"

Morgana's head peeked behind the screen, giving her a reassuring grin. "I knew something was bothering you,"

_Oh she had no idea._

"It's fine Gwen, but if you could get it before dinner tonight, that would be great,"

She hesitated, deciding the best course of action would be to recover the clothes as soon as possible, and then explain to Morgana later.

"Of course, I apologize for forgetting. I'll go get it now,"

By the time Morgana found the words to respond, Gwen already had a foot out of the door. Gwen ran out to the scene of the crime, desperately hoping that by some miracle, the clothes were still where she had left them.

**-p-**

Morgana was bored.

She had left early that morning to go out and ride her horse, hoping that it would blow off some of the steam from the events of the earlier night.

She blamed Arthur for all of it. It was his lack of respect for women, herself included, that brought the ridiculous punishment of a 'Coming-of-Age' banquet.

Not only had she wanted to vent her anger about her brother to Gwen, but she had also planned to tell Gwen about the banquet and the compromising situations that it would bring. But her maidservant practically raced out of the room before she got the chance.

Despite how much she didn't like the idea of needing to be escorted to the feast, she wanted to discuss with her friend first. Much like Arthur, she wanted to make sure that Gwen's date was adequate. She wasn't about to let some animal come in and take advantage of her precious companion.

The King's ward was becoming restless, sitting by her desk, her nails tapping against its wooden surface.

About half an hour passed after Gwen left when Morgana heard a knock come on the door. Excited to finally be reunited with her friend, Morgana rushed to answer it.

But instead of finding a petite brunette at the door, she found a tall, lanky and pale looking boy.

Morgana would have been disappointed that it wasn't Gwen, had she not been so intrigued by the stranger.

In less than a second, she had evaluated his entire appearance. He was dressed neatly, but not too nicely, most definitely not high nobility. He was young, probably not much older than herself. The asset that stood out to her the most, however, were his eyes. Right as hers made contact with his, she couldn't help but to stare at the deep, dark blue orbs.

At the sight of her, the mystery boy's eyes went wide as saucers.

"Can I help you?" she managed to say, intending for it to sound less condescending that it came out.

He avoided looking at her, he shifted his gaze to the side of the door. He took his hand out, and half coughed to clear his throat awkwardly.

"Yes, my Lady," he moved a bit and pushed forward a large woven case, "Um I found this in the hallway, and," he extended his arm so that she could reach for it, "and I had a feeling that it belonged to you,"

Morgana looked down, realizing that the basket did indeed belong to her. The glimpse of extravagant fabrics were all too familiar.

"Thank you," she took it out of his hand, holding it close to her own body now.

"Merlin," he added, his interjection made her jump a little. He was now looking at her face straight on. His smile was brighter than others she had seen. She didn't seem to understand him, so he repeated, "My name, it's Merlin,"

"Thank you, Merlin,"

She couldn't help but return his smile.

He gave a slight bow, and swiveled around on his heel. "My Lady," he saluted, before walking away.

Still in a state of awe, Morgana took a step back and closed the door.

She looked down to look at the clothing in her hands, but not without finally understanding why the boy, Merlin, couldn't look at her straight.

Morgana had forgotten to get dressed. She took off her outer layers when she came in with Gwen, but without the dress to put on, stayed in her chambers with only a white slip.

So, when a boy she had never met came to visit her, she had, essentially, greeted him in her underwear.

One hell of a week this was going to be.

**End Chapter 3**

A/N: Yeaahh Merlin! In the first episode of Merlin, Merlin walks in on Morgana while she's changing behind the screen, so that little memory inspired me to write this one. A little more Arwen action later. I'll get to introduce Merlin a little better later on. Thank you for reading, please review! It really motivates me to write :)


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Hello Merlin lovers! The past chapters didn't really have any comedic aspects and possessed more plot, so I hope that this one is more like the first chapter and makes you laugh! Please enjoy, and thank you for reading!

**Chapter 4**

The doors to the prince's chambers were burst open with immense force. Morgana was furious; she slammed them shut with a loud bang, and pointed an accusing finger at her brother.

"You're a rat, Arthur Pendragon!"

The said rodent sat alone at a table, carefully finalizing the list of girls that his knights had written for him. He looked up, but with less enthusiasm than his fuming sibling.

"You sold me out to Uther, you told him about my trip into the woods this morning!" she had been called to the throne room earlier to be scolded for her escapades in the surrounding forests.

"Well if you would sit at home, and brush your hair and do whatever it is that girls normally do, it wouldn't be an issue,"

Arthur stared pensively at the paper sitting on his desk, scrutinizing every name. After a bit of thought, he crossed one of the names off, his eyes squinted as he tried to remember the faces of every choice.

"Besides, you deserve to get in some trouble without dragging me into it,"

"I swear Arthur, do you know what I had to agree to make up for my 'reckless behavior'?" she threw her hands up in the air and stalked up to him. Her eyes got dangerously close to the paper in his hands. Arthur warily folded it once and placed his forearm over it protectively.

"Don't bother hiding that forsaken list, I know what's on it anyways," she said, now leaning on the edge of the table, facing him with her side.

He looked up at her, trying to keep his composed front up.

"That infamous list has been a hot topic of all girls in court," she stuck her chin up in the air, "You know half of your knights have already asked me to go to the banquet,"

He cursed inwardly, he had a disorderly bunch of men as his knights. He had specifically instructed them to wait for his approval before inviting their choices.

"Naturally, I turned each of them down," she smiled deviously, "so you don't need to worry about their honorable intentions,"

Arthur scowled, he was going to have to teach his knights how to keep their mouths shut. One slight warning to his knights about their intent towards the king's ward, it news had already spread like wildfire. Seeing as Morgana already knew, Arthur grudgingly removed his sleeve and took out a pen. He crossed Morgana's name off of the list as many times that it had appeared.

"You should really keep them in line, tell them to stop asking, because I don't want to go with any of them,"

He looked up again, met with a smug expression of victory. But Arthur wasn't one to accept defeat so easily.

"You're one to talk," he growled, "You should control your half of the court! Do you have any idea how many girls have thrown themselves at me in the past two days?"

Morgana raised a delicate brow, biting her lip in frustration.

"They're following me around all day, begging me to ask them. They've deeply impaired my knights' abilities to train properly,"

"Well Arthur, unlike you, I am not responsible for the other ladies in Camelot. I do not care for their company, just as they do not care for mine,"

He glared at her, neither of them seemed willing to concede. Backing down at this point would be a humiliating loss.

Morgana spoke up again, "By the way, your little plot to ruin my dresses were pathetic,"

It was Arthur's turn to question her words. "What are you talking about?"

"Bumping into my maid, distracting her, making sure that she wouldn't be able to get my dresses back to me," she waited for the bells to go off in his head.

After her visit from Merlin, Gwen had returned empty handed. She confessed to Morgana what had happened earlier that day, and how she had been so completely sidetracked that she forgot to bring the basket back to her chambers. Morgana had assumed that everything was due to Arthur's malicious intentions.

Arthur on the other hand, remembered his encounter with the serving girl completely differently. In truth, memory of the girl had consumed most of his thoughts since she ran away. He had been so enchanted with her that he let her remain on him for a good minute before she came to her senses and got off. Though he found most girl's in the castle to be little more than nuisances, he found himself attracted to her. But before he could say anything, or even ask for her name, she had run away. The fact that she had left a basket filled with Morgana's clothing completely escaped him.

"And stay away from my maidservant," Morgana warned, leaning in closer to Arthur. "She's really a sweet and innocent girl. I don't want her to be traumatized by the likes of your idiotic plans,"

Arthur's stability wavered, "Well excuse me Morgana, but maybe you should be the one staying away from _my_ servant!"

"What?" she didn't know how to respond.

"Don't think I don't know about your little interactions with my manservant, Merlin,"

Morgana's mouth fell open, "Merlin works for you?" she asked in disbelief. She had been trying to understand more about his identity, but failed to gather information.

"Exactly," Arthur reclined in his seat, his arms crossed behind his head, he started to lean his chair so that it was tipping back. This time it was his win. "He's new, but he's decent,"

"Well," an obvious blush flushed on her cheeks, "You just stay away from my servant!" Morgana got up and started her way back to the exit.

"And you from mine!"

A stare down proceeded between the young Pendragons. Morgana slowly made steps backwards so that they could hold eye contact as she made her way out. She reached the door, but not before giving a last warning to Arthur.

"Don't forget to tell that to the rest of your knights too!"

"What now?"

"Don't play dumb Arthur, I saw the list,"

Arthur didn't seem to follow, he just continued to tip further back in his seat, waiting for her to leave.

"A good number of your knights are planning on asking Guinevere to the banquet,"

He didn't have time for this. "Who?"

She rolled her eyes, "My maid! Who else?"

His eyes went wide.

As Morgana shut the door behind her, Arthur lost his balance and crashed onto the floor.

He quickly got back onto his feet, rummaging on his desk for the list again. His eyes confirmed Morgana's words.

Arthur almost had a panic attack, had it not been for the unbridled joy of finally learning her name. He stood there on his knees with a grin reaching both ears.

Guinevere.

It had a nice ring to it.

**End Chapter 4**

A/N: I thought it would be fun to revisit this sibling relationship, in my interpretation, they're really funny. I just love the way that Arthur pronounces 'Guinevere' in the show, so I thought it would be nice to say that Arthur felt the same. The character's personalities are really like they were in the beginning of series 1; Arthur's a prat, Gwen is awkward, Morgana's outspoken, and Merlin is innocent.

And regarding a question I got in the reviews, as much as I am concerned, magic _is_ banned. But unlike the series, it doesn't really play a huge role in the whole plot line, but hey, who knows? Maybe outlawed magic will be brought into this. Thank you for the reviews, they're the reason why I'm updating so often.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

All throughout his adolescent life, Arthur Pendragon regarded women as doll-like things that only served for their purely aesthetic purposes. He found them bothersome in every other aspect. They would run out to him and beg him to grant them ridiculous favors. The prince even found Igraine exasperating at times, the most recent of her antics being the 'Coming-of-Age" banquet.

However, his recent run in with his sister's serving girl made him do a double take.

Unlike the girls he usually found himself surrounded by, she wasn't strikingly beautiful. She wasn't exceptionally memorable either, she somehow maintained her status as a mere wallflower for her multiple years in court. She didn't dress in elaborate dresses, or flirt and tease the male members of the castle for her own amusement. She didn't make a pass at him, or even try to get his attention.

But perhaps it was because she didn't fit the mold of his idea of the common girl that made her so interesting. Ever since she fell on top of him in the hallway, he couldn't help but think of her. Whenever they came into close proximity, he was painfully aware of her presence.

He found himself distracted by her no matter what he was doing.

He would slip up during practice when she would pass by with Morgana. He would trip down the stairs if he saw her face in the window above the square. He would knock his goblet over when she was serving lunch. He nearly fell of his horse when he saw her walking in his direction.

So it was high time he did something before anything else went wrong.

He couldn't possibly talk to her, no, Morgana would never allow it. He would have to find a way to get to Guinevere without his sister noticing, a daunting task indeed.

His opportunity came in the form of Morgana's latest dress fitting. Gwen was dismissed early and left the castle to go to the lower town. It couldn't have been better timing, as Arthur was just making his final rounds of patrol.

He spotted her in the market place. He quickly admonished his companions to go and prepare for the evening's training session without him, and he followed her. With basket in hand, she skillfully examined the produce of apples and other fruits.

Arthur found himself enchanted by her. She wasn't doing anything particularly special, yet his eyes stayed glued to her form. Arthur moved to hide behind another cart to get in closer proximity. He looked up at the owner of the stall, giving a quick nod, as they looked at him strangely. He ignored their disturbed looks and refocused his attention on the petite girl standing closeby.

His eyes narrowed instinctively as he saw her joined by another figure.

It was none other than Sir Owain. And he looked nervous.

Thoughts flashed through his mind as he watched the inaudible pair in front of him conversing. He was asking Gwen to the banquet! Did none of his knights listen? First with Morgana, and no Guinevere? He told them to _wait_ for his okay before they asked.

It was clear that he needed to discipline his men better from now on. Who knew what was going to break loose that day during practice.

Owain had his hand on the back of his head, not looking the girl in the eye.

Arthur watched as Gwen laughed nervously, and said something else, her eyes a bit sorry.

Owain walked away forlorn, he nodded acknowledgement before leaving the girl there alone.

Despite feeling a bit bad for his companion, Arthur couldn't be more excited at the fact that Gwen had rejected him. He almost cheered aloud before glancing up at the man standing over him. He cleared his throat, and excused himself with a 'good day' to the stranger.

It was time, do or die, now or never.

Gwen was making her way back to the castle, carrying a heavy load of fruit in her arms.

This was his chance, and he was going to take it.

Arthur ran up behind her.

"Guinevere!"

Gwen could recognize that voice anywhere, she just never supposed that she would hear it in a place like this. She turned around, surprised by his appearance, almost dropping the basket in the process.

"Sire," she tried to bow, but came dangerously close to losing her balance.

Aware of her struggle, his hands moved forward, "Here, let me help,"

She stood dumbfounded as the prince took the load away. As realization hit her, her arms shot forward to take it back, she couldn't have royalty do her job for her, "I couldn't Sire,"

He didn't let her take them back, "No,"

She looked confused.

"Think of it as an apology for knocking you over before," he blurted out.

Seeing that the stubborn boy wasn't going to budge, she whispered a "Thank you," still maintaining her confused expression.

"You're going back to the castle?"

"Yes,"

The uncomfortable air that sat on them wasn't relenting.

"There's good weather today,"

"Very warm,"

He nodded, "So I saw you talking to one of my knights earlier,"

"Yes," she answered absentmindedly. She genuinely wanted to converse with him, but if Morgana found out, she would have a fit.

"Sir Owain," the name said with a contemptuous tone.

"Yes,"

"He's a bright knight, a good fighter,"

"Yes," her eyebrows came together, what was he getting at?

"What were the two of you speaking about?"

She stopped in her tracks, looking up at the boy who was shyly avoiding her gaze.

"I uh," she stuttered, unsure if she should tell the truth, "We um,"

Time seemed to stop, everything quiet.

She turned around, thanking god for her luck.

"We're here,"

Arthur became aware that they had arrived in the square.

"Thank you for your help," before he could stop her, she was carrying the basket on her own.

"Wait I—"

"For you," she quickly placed a single red fruit in his palm.

He hadn't quite registered what was going on, and by the time he did, she was fast away on the other end of the courtyard.

The prince groaned in frustration, he had been so close.

After she was out of sight, he began walking in the opposite direction. He held the apple in his hand, handling it with care as he made his way back to the fields. He admired how well it represented the girl who gave it to him; simple and still beautiful.

He grinned as he saw his men with their equipment, armed with swords and staffs. He thought to himself all the activities they were going to go through that day.

Poor Owain, didn't know what was coming to him.

**End Chapter 5**

A/N: So sorry it took this long to post, I've just been so caught up in my other stories. But I hoped you liked it! Arthur's still a bit shy around Gwen, but has decided that he wants to ask her to the banquet. The matter of how and when are still at large in his head, and its occurred to him that he's not the only one looking to take her to the feast. Please review if you want me to continue. A bit rushed, I'll be back to edit in the coming hours!


End file.
